Facebook said to choose Nasdaq for IPO

Facebook, which is preparing for its highly anticipated initial public offering, has picked a home.

The social network will list its shares under the ticker symbol FB on Nasdaq, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who demanded anonymity because the discussions were private.

It’s a significant coup for the exchange, which has been embroiled in a fierce battle with the New York Stock Exchange for the darlings of Silicon Valley. While big technology companies, like Apple and Google, have traditionally flocked to Nasdaq, the NYSE has aggressively courted the new crop of internet companies over the last year, nabbing notable offerings like LinkedIn and Pandora Media.

For Nasdaq, Facebook is not just any listing. With more than 800 million users and $US3.7 billion in revenue, Facebook has come to dominate the social media industry.

The company is widely expected to go public next month and is on track to be the largest offering since Google’s debut in 2004. The IPO could value the sprawling social network as high as $US100 billion, people close to the company have said. Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs are leading the IPO.

In picking the Nasdaq, Facebook had to mull the exchanges. Nasdaq is a fully electronic marketplace, while NYSE offers a hybrid model, with a floor-based marketplace and an electronic one. NYSE is widely considered a more global brand, compared to the Nasdaq. But its pricing structure is typically more expensive than Nasdaq’s. For either exchange, companies pay an upfront fee to list, and an annual fee.

“It’s a high profile win for their listings business,” said Michael Adams, an analyst Sandler O’Neill. “In terms of earnings, the impact won’t be dramatic, but it’s something to be proud of.”